Friday, August 29, 2008

It's been an interesting week. Basically stuck at home, working from home, and not able to do much of anything, I've seen a different side of my dogs and our usual routine. I think my everyday life is so busy, I rarely even sit down during the time I'm at home. With so many paws to keep track of, it's a non-stop "I want in, I want out, Feed me, Fill the water bowl, She stole my toy" type activities. Bark, bark, wrestle, wrestle.

But this week, it's like a time out. The dogs are calm, and they spend most of the day laying around like speed bumps in various places around the house. When they are awake and moving around, there is no frenzy, no worry that someone might miss out on something fun.

It really makes me realize that things really need to change around here. It's time to re-prioritize and direct our time and energy to things that really matter. Perhaps the last couple of weeks are a blessing in disguise?

It doesn't seem possible that my little red puppy, heart of my heart, can be seven years old today. I've come to love the little sprinkling of grey hair creeping in around the corner of his great smile.My first Cardigan, my Novice A obedience dog, my first conformation Champion, Kane pulled me through the doorway from my lifetime in Sporting dogs to the world of Herding Dogs. I remember how I worried that people would laugh at me for moving from my comfort zone of the larger sleek-coated, floppy-eared pointing dogs. The Cardigans were so funny-looking, was I crazy? I really was looking for a companion dog for Big Nick.

Nick was about two years old at the time, and full of energy. I credit Nick for leading me to the Cardigans. I had Graycie the Weimaraner, almost four years old, and Nick the Shorthair/Lab mix. Graycie was far too sophisticated to play and wrestle too much with Nick in our new fenced back yard. Nick needed a companion, but I did not want a third BIG dog. So, I started looking for a dog that might be sturdy enough to play with Nick, and a dog who might be a good dog for agility. Nick loves agility, but well, Nick is a wild man on the agility course.

So, long story a bit less long, I researched and narrowed down the possibilities, and eventually after meeting Simon, a sweet brindle cardigan, I decided that a Cardigan might be just the perfect dog for me.

As I started my search for a Cardigan, I only had two requirements....I wanted a girl, and I wanted either brindle or black, but definitely NOT red.No problem, right? Shortly after joining the Corgi-L email list, I was contacted by someone who knew of a performance prospect brindle puppy girl, and she was with a breeder only a`couple of hours away from me. Yay! I loaded up Graycie and Nick in the new blue minivan (Off-topic: What 28 year old, single, childless gal is totally psyched to buy a minivan? A DogMom, that's who!), and off we go to meet this little brindle girl-puppy.

When we arrived, there were two puppies available. The cute little brindle girl, and well, a red boy. The girl puppy was all over the place, ME! ME! ME! At one point, I looked for the boy puppy, and he was walking under the futon in the living room, heading to the dog bed in the kitchen. In the middle of all the activity, he just plopped himself down and went to sleep. Hmmm, my new Cardigan was going to be the third dog in the house, and with the Princess Graycie demanding most of my undivided attention, perhaps I should consider a dog who is a bit more independent. After all was said and done, the RED, BOY Cardigan puppy made the trip back to Kansas City with us, and we've never looked back!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

I realized today that Hawk has a Vallhund-specific blog to chronicle his activities (and more recently his new baby boy!), and Syd has a blog where I journal her progress and activities. But we don't really have a "family blog" where life in general is up for discussion. So, here it is, the general family blog for Hurrikane Cardigans (and Swedish Vallhund, Weimaraner, GSP/Lab mix, Tabby, and Cockatoo). Enjoy!